Top Java books recommended by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we've connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favourite Java books – and here are the answers.

Table of Contents

Fundamentals of Java

Understanding the concepts of Java starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Java Performance Binu John

Java™ Performance covers the latest Oracle and third-party tools for monitoring and measuring performance on a wide variety of hardware architectures and operating systems. The authors present dozens of tips and tricks you’ll find nowhere else. You’ll learn how to construct experiments that identify opportunities for optimization, interpret the results, and take effective action. You’ll also f…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Core Java, Volume I--Fundamentals

This first of two volumes offers in-depth coverage of fundamental Java programming, including object-oriented programming, generics, collections, lambda expressions, concurrency, and functional programming. Classic material for Swing UI programming is included for those who need it.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code

Refactoring is about improving the design of existing code. It is the process of changing a software system in such a way that it does not alter the external behavior of the code, yet improves its internal structure. With refactoring you can even take a bad design and rework it into a good one.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Test Driven: Practical TDD and Acceptance TDD for Java Developers

TDD and its supporting tools and techniques leadto better software faster. Test Driven brings under one cover practical TDD techniquesdistilled from several years of community experience. With examplesin Java and the Java EE environment, it explores both the techniquesand the mindset of TDD and ATDD.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Head First Java

Learning a complex new language is no easy task especially when it s an object-oriented computer programming language like Java. You might think the problem is your brain. It seems to have a mind of its own, a mind that doesn't always want to take in the dry, technical stuff you're forced to study.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Java Concurrency in Practice

Java Concurrency in Practice provides you with the concepts and techniques needed to write safe and scalable Java programs for today's--and tomorrow's--systems." "This is the book you need if you're writing--or designing, or debugging, or maintaining, or contemplating--multithreaded Java programs.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Additional Java Reading

These books are not required for you to learn Java, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

Test-Driven Java Development

Test-driven development is a process that relies on the repetition of a very short development cycle. It is based on the test-first concept of extreme programming (XP) that encourages simple design with a high level of confidence. The procedure that drives this cycle is called red-green-refactor.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Head First Design Patterns Elisabeth Robson

This book shows you the patterns that matter, when to use them and why, how to apply them to your own designs, and the object-oriented design principles on which they're based. Join hundreds of thousands of developers who've improved their object-oriented design skills through Head First Design Patterns.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Effective Java (3rd Edition)

Since this Jolt-award winning classic was last updated in 2008, the Java programming environment has changed dramatically. Java 7 and Java 8 introduced new features and functions including, forEach() method in Iterable interface, default and static methods in Interfaces, Functional Interfaces and Lambda Expressions, Java Stream API for Bulk Data Operations on Collections, Java Time API, Collec…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Beginning Programming With Java for Dummies

This book includes practice questions and exercises to help reinforce your understanding of Java. Before you know it, you'll be using variables, values, and types, and you'll understand loops, objects, and classes. Start programming in Java and creating your own projects right away!

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

Java SE 8 for the Really Impatient

Eagerly anticipated by millions of programmers, Java SE 8 is the most important Java update in many years. The addition of lambda expressions (closures) and streams represents the biggest change to Java programming since the introduction of generics and annotations.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

JavaScript: Programming Basics for Absolute Beginners

Learning a programming language can seem like a daunting task. You may have looked at coding in the past, and felt it was too complicated and confusing. This comprehensive beginner’s guide will take you step by step through learning one of the best programming languages out there. In a matter of no time, you will be writing code like a professional.
JavaScript is a popular client-side scrip…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

Augment your Java books

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

Only 2 Spots Left

https://sanzeev.com.np/ Senior Frontend Engineer with over 12 years of experience and currently working at eBay. My core skills are Node.js, JavaScript, Typescript, HTML, CSS, GraphQL and Ionic/Cordova, and I have worked with frameworks such as Backbone, Angular, React and Marko js. I specialize in web app, hybrid mobile app development …

$240 / month
  Chat
2 x Calls
Tasks

Only 1 Spot Left

Hello! I'm a passionate Frontend Engineer with a deep love for mentoring engineers and guiding them through their professional journeys. With extensive experience in front-end frameworks like React and Next.js, I enjoy sharing my knowledge and helping others excel in their careers. User Interface: https://www.frontprep.com/user-interface JavaScript Coding: https://www.frontprep.com/javascript-coding Conceptual: https://www.frontprep.com/conceptual

$100 / month
  Chat
2 x Calls
Tasks

Only 2 Spots Left

I am a pragmatic software engineer with 20+ years of experience, passionate about simplicity, operational and engineering excellence, DevOps, distributed systems and computer science. I am also a teacher and mentor at heart, which allows me to connect with software engineers, managers and tech product leaders of all levels of …

$200 / month
  Chat
1 x Call
Tasks

Only 3 Spots Left

I am a Senior Software Engineer at Booking.com, the largest travel company in the world. Before joining here, I was working as a Senior Software Engineer at Grab, the leading delivery, mobility, financial, and enterprise services company in Southeast Asia. In my career so far, I have always been working …

$120 / month
  Chat
1 x Call
Tasks

Only 1 Spot Left

As someone who comes from a non-computer science background, I understand the doubts that can come with making a career switch. However, I'm excited to share my personal experience of successfully transitioning into the tech industry, particularly within the fintech sector. Over the past five years, I have gained valuable …

$280 / month
  Chat
2 x Calls
Tasks

Only 1 Spot Left

In my 26 year career as a full stack developer I have been fortunate to develop websites for a large range of companies including Microsoft, Bank of Scotland, BBC, British Medical Association, Heriot-Watt University and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. I also created websites for ten different agencies of the …

$200 / month
  Chat
2 x Calls
Tasks

Browse all Java mentors

Still not convinced?
Don’t just take our word for it

We’ve already delivered 1-on-1 mentorship to thousands of students, professionals, managers and executives. Even better, they’ve left an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for our mentors.

Find a Java mentor
  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

  • "Brandon has been supporting me with a software engineering job hunt and has provided amazing value with his industry knowledge, tips unique to my situation and support as I prepared for my interviews and applications."

  • "Sandrina helped me improve as an engineer. Looking back, I took a huge step, beyond my expectations."